Sulfur candle.



UNrrED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LYMAN II. SWAN, OF IMLAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

SULFUR CANDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 647,770, dated April17, 1900.

Application filed December 9, 1897. Serial No. 661,295. (No specimens.)

1'0 coZZ whom it may concern; Beit known that I, LYMAN ILSWAN, a citizenof the United States, residing at Imlay City, county of Lapeer, State ofMichigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Meansfor Preserving Food; and I declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification. This invention relates to means for preserving food,and has for its object an improved candle to be used in preserving food.This candle may be employed in preserving meats of any kind and also inpreserving Vegetables, although my experience has been mainly confinedto the use of it with animal substances. Still I have found byexperiment that it can be used with efficiency with some, at least, ofthe vegetable substances.

In preparing the preserving means I make what I Will term a sulfurcandle, being a candle manufactured from sulfur and having a wickimpregnated with niter, and I use this candle for the generation of agas to which the article to be preserved is exposed. In manufacturingthe candle I firstdissolve niter or saltpeter in water, making asaturated solution of the niter, using a quantity of Water sufficient tosaturate so much wicking as I may desire to prepare. For ordinary use Iprepare a wick of loosely-spun cotton, such as the ordinarycandle-wicking of commerce, by folding and loosely twisting two or threeof the strands together, making a wick of the size of an ordinarylead-pencil. This Wick after having been soaked in the saturatedsolution of saltpeteris thoroughly dried. Aroundit is formed a casing ofsulfur. My practice has been to make this casing by dipping the wickwick of a size mentioned will contain an amount of niter sufficient tosupply oxygen for the consumption of the amount of sulfur in a candle ofthat size after ignition.

The meat to be treated is not prepared in anyway, except that it isallowed to hang after butchering until the animal heat has escaped, andit is cut into the shape and size that will be most convenient forhandling. If for shipment, it may be left in quarters, and if fordomestic use itmay be cut into smaller sizes. The meat is hung in aclosed room or closed vessel, the candle is fired and placed in theroom, and the meat is exposed to the fumes of the candle for a period ofabout thirty minutes. The size of the candle should be in proportion tothe size of the chamber that the meat is exposed in and suf ficient topermit of its burning for thirty minutes and filling the chamber full ofthe produced gases. At the end of that time the chamber isopened, and assoon as the gases have passed out, so'that a person may enter, the meatcan be packed away for future use and will remain in good condition foran in definite period of time. My experience has shown that after anentire summer of exposure meat prepared in this way remains in perfectcondition. Neither flies nor insects will touch it, and no furtherpreparation is necessary when it is desired to use it.

To preserve fruits or vegetables, the fruits or vegetables are placed ina jar covered with water and the jar with its contents are exposed tothe fumes of the candle. There will form on the surface of the Water ascale which should not be disturbed until it is desired to use the fruitor vegetable, as after this scale is broken and any portion of the fruitis again exposed to the air that portion is liable to decay.

I am aware that sulfur candles have been provided with a priming ofpotassium chlo- ,rate or nitrate for the purpose of facilitating theignition of the same. I do not claim that process, but limit myself to acandle containing in its wick sufiicient potassium nitrate to edect animproved antiseptic or preserving action upon food and in which theundesirable bleaching or discoloring action of sulfurous acid isavoided.

ICO

What I claim is In testimony whereof I sign this specifica- A candle forthe purpose specified, eonsisttion in the presence of two witnesses. ingof a Wick, impregnated with niter and a I body of sulfur surrounding thesame, the rela- 5 tive size of the impregnated wick being suchWitnesses:

as to supply sufiicient oxygen to consume the J A. SWAN, c sulfur afterignition. VIRGINIA M. CLOUGH.

LYMAN H. SWAN.

